Actuating device



Feb. 21, 1967 o. w. GRAVELEY 3,304,797

ACTUATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 26, 1964 INVENTOR.6' 7 a ZIQZQ ATTOFNEYS.

m m c w 0. W. GRAVELEY Feb. 21, 1967 ACTUATING DEVICE Original FiledJune 26, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a, 4 mm 2% 2w 3 0 3. e m M 0 n 2 W n u a1 w h x H k 0 c 2 LM; 4 6 I y I- w INVENTOR. Oscar Z0. G'rave7qyATTORNEYS,

United States Patent C) 3,304,797 ACTUATING DEVICE Oscar W. Graveley,Sanborn, N.Y., assignor to Niagara Frontier Services, Inc., Builalo,N.Y.

Original application June 26, 1964, Ser. No. 378,193, now Patent No.3,276,699, dated Oct. 4, 1966. Divided and this application Mar. 18,1966, Ser. No. 535,472

8 Claims. (Cl. 74491) This application is a division of my pendingapplication Ser. No. 378,193 filed June 26, 1964, now Patent No.3,276,699 for Device for Dispensing Pressurized Material.

This invention relates generally to the control art, and morespecifically to an actuating linkage. While not limited thereto, theinstant invention is herein disclosed by way of example incorporated ina gun type holder for dispensing pressurized material, such as aerosolsprays, either pre-packaged in cannisters or from a fixed supply forcontrolling the amount dispensed.

Dispensers containing pressurized aerosol sprays are well known in theart and have been utilized for applying such diverse chemicals asinsecticides, germicides, paints, fire retardants, air fresheners andeven moth proofers. These aerosol spray cans may contain powdered,coinminuted, semi-solid, liquid and fluid material-s each to bedispensed by a carrier gas under pressure, usually through a spraynozzle or orifice extending through a controlling actuator button orplunger. When the button or plunger is depressed, by fingers pressure,the carrier gas and the material to be sprayed are passed togetherthrough the orifice causing the material to be atomized.

The conventional aerosol cannister is designed so that the operatorholds the cylindrical body portion in the palm of one hand and actuatesthe ripper valve mechanism with the thumb of the same hand. When thematerial is released the pressurized carrier gas expands, cooling thecannister, and depending upon the original pressure of the gas withinthe cannister, the container may become so cold that the skin of theoperator is numbed or even burned.

The dispenser may also contain insecticides or other poisonous materialswhich should not be permitted to contact the skin. With the hand of theoperator encircling the can and in close proximity to the spray orificeit is inevitable that some of the spray will be deposited upon theoperators hand possibly causing an irritating reaction on the skin.

Furthermore, with the spray orifice situated in the usual small actuatorbutton, it is difficul-t to aim the spray precisely. Also, due tomanufacturing tolerances, the orifices of many of the cannisters tend tobe large, allowing the cone of the spray to diverge quickly, notpermitting the precise application of the sprayed material that isdesired if the cannister is held at a distance from the point ofapplication. When the spray cannister is held too close to the surfacebeing covered, the coating tends -to run while if the can is held at adistance from the surface, the applied material tends to come out of thedispersion and drip, as Well as covering a large area.

' It is often desirable to be able to apply the same amount of spraytime after time. With the use of a regular finger depressed plunger thisis impossible. The human judgment of time is, at best, not veryaccurate, and as the hands become tired or cramped, the time of applyingthe coatings will vary.

Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a hand operateddevice for actuating an aerosol can without the hand of the operatortouching the cannister, so that the operator is protected from the icycold of the cannister and possible skin irritation from the spray.

A further object of my invention is to provide a means for regulatingthe actuation time of the dispenser which is substantially free of theoperators sense of time.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an aerosol cannister holder of thepresent invention with the cannister attached thereto, and having asection of the handle cover portion removed from the holder for a viewof the actuating mechanism of this invention contained therewithin;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in section of the cannisterholder and aerosol cannister of FIG. 1 with the handle cover portion inplace, being taken about on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the spray shield of the cannisterholder taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper end of thecannister taken along line 44 of FIG. 2 illustrating mean-s forattaching the cannister body to the holder frame, and the actuatingbutton of the cannister to the actuating lever of the holder;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the upper end of the cannisterattached to the cannister holder frame, taken along line 55 of FIG. 4,with the actuating lever removed to illustrate the shape of the actuatorbutton;

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of the cannister holder with a cannisterattached thereto, similar to FIG. 1, showing the holder with the triggerdepressed to the point at which the spray is released and illustratingthe operation of the spring connecting "line; and

FIG. 7 is a partial side plan view of a second embodiment of theinvention utilizing a toggle linkage in place of the collapsible springlink.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the aerosol dispenser holder, generallydesignate/.1 10, is shown mounting an aerosol cannister, generallydesignated 12. The holder 10 consists of a hollow pistol type handle 14with a cannister mounting frame section 16 riveted. thereto by a flange18. A trigger 20 is pivotally mounted within the hollow pistol handle 14and has an integral finger grip 22 extending through the handle 14 to aposition at which it may be easily held by a hooked finger of the handof the operator wishing to use the aerosol cannister 12. An abutment 24,on the body of the trigger 20, lies within the hollow handle. Anactuating lever 26 is pivotally mounted in the upper end of the handle14 with a first end 28 extending out across the upper end of the aerosolcannister 12 and a second end 30 of the actuating lever 26 beingcontained within the hollow pistol handle, 14. A compression spring 32,within the handle 14, is held between an upper face of the abutment 24on the trigger and the lower face of the second end 30 of the actuatinglever 26. Spring 32 can seat around projections 72 (FIG. 6) on end 30and abutment 24.

An adjusting lever 34 is pivotally mounted within the hollow handle 14of the aerosol dispenser holder 10, in the same plane as the trigger 20,with a first end 36 of the adjusting lever 34 adjacent the abutment 24on the trigger 20 and biased toward the abutment 24 by a tension spring38 connected at one end to the first end 36 of the adjustment lever 34and at the other end to a fixed point in the hollow pistol handle 14.The second end 40 of the adjustment lever 34 has tending therethrough ata point adjacent the center of the compression spring 32 andsubstantially perpendicular thereto, with the knurled head 44 of thescrew 42 lying outside the handle 14.

an adjusting screw 42 ex- A cannister 12 is fixed in the frame 16 of theholder with the cylindrical body portion 42 of the cannister 12positioned beneath the frame 16 and the actuating button 46 extendingthrough a circular hole 48 in the frame 16. The first end 28 of theactuating lever 26 is operatively connected to the button 46 by aresilient, removable, coupling 50. The end of the frame 16, distant fromthe handle 14, is curved to form a circular mounting 52 for a conicalfunnel 54 whose walls tend to converge at a point distant from themounting portion 52. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an absorbent lining 56may be included within the conical funnel 54 to catch any particles thatmay tend to leave the spray and prevent dripping therefrom. Lining 56 isremovable.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cannister 12 may be removably held in theframe 16 of the holder 16 by means of a depending resilient flange 56surrounding the hole 48 and snapping into the conventional crimped overannular neck bead 58 of the cannister 12. The actuator button 46 of thecannister 12, extending through the frame 16, has a pair of opposedflats 60, lying in planes parallel to the axis of the spray orifice 62while the resilient coupling 50, connecting the button 46 to the end 28of the actuating lever 26, has a pair of flat spring ears 64 formed soas to extend across the flats 60 on the button actuator 46 and furtherclamp onto the sides of the end 28 of the actuator lever 26 to hold thebutton 46 against rotation in a position with the aXis of the orifice 62coincident with the axis of the conical funnel.

FIG. 6 illustrates the operation of the aerosol cannister holdingdevice. In solid line, the trigger 20 is shown partially depressed, thecompression spring 52 being driven upward thereby, pivoting lever 26counterclockwise to depress the button 46 and emit a spray 66 from theorifice 62 through the funnel 54. As the trigger 20 is furtherdepressed, the outer end of the abutment 24 on the trigger 20 pivots theadjustment lever 34 counterclockwise, causing the inner end of the screw42 to bear against the compression coil spring 32 and buckle the same,as shown in broken lines. When this occurs, actuating lever 26 pivotsclockwise under the influence of the usual compression spring (notshown) associated with the button 46, shutting off the spray 66. It willbe appreciated that, except for the flat sides 60, button 46 can be anyconventional, spring returned aerosol spary control button.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modification of the invention wherein thecompression spring 32 has been replaced with a toggle 68 pivotallyconnected between the abutment 24 on the trigger 20 and the end of theactuating lever 26 and held upright to transmit a reciprocatory force bya compression spring 70 positioned between the trigger 20 and one of thelinks of the toggle 68. When the trigger 20 is first depressed, thetoggle will hold the position shown, depressing the actuator button 46and allowing a spray 66 to be emitted. Further depressing of the triggerwill cause the end of the screw 42 to press against a link of the toggle68, collapsing the toggle and releasing the actuator button 46.

The length of the portion of the adjustment screw 42, extending throughthe lever 34 toward the compression spring 32 (or toggle 68), determinesthe length of time that the spray will be activated. The operator doesnot need to hold the trigger depressed in one position for a calculatedtime at each actuation to obtain a consistent amount of spray. All thatneed be done is to set the screw 42 by the knurled head 44 to aparticular position and then slowly squeeze the trigger 20 to firstactivate the spray and second to shut it 01f.

If a narrow spray 66 is desired, for stenciling or other uses, thefunnel 54 is used, if on the other hand, a large area is to be covered,the funnel 54 need only be unsnapped and removed.

While only one particular method for holding the cannister 12 to theframe 16 is shown, the cannister 12 could be held by any number of meansthat are quite old in the art such as a pipe clamp.

It will be understood of course, that for purposes of explanation, Ihave merely illustrated in detail what I deem to be the presentlypreferred specific embodiments of my invention and that within thebroader purview of the invention, as defined by the appended claims,various modifications may be made in the illustrated structure. Thedispensing device of my invention is not limited to aerosols, or to usewith portable cannisters. It can also be used to control a dispensingline from a fixed or remote supply. The actuating linkage of myinvention is not limited to the dispensing art, but has utilityelsewhere as well.

What I claim is:

1. An actuating linkage comprising a first pivotable lever movable froma first position through a second position to a third position, a secondpivotable lever adapted for actuating engagement with a member to beactuated, a collapsible section between said first and second leversoperable to pivot said second lever from a first to a second positionwhen said first lever is pivoted from said first position to said secondposition, and means automatically collapsing said collapsible section toenable pivoting of said second lever back from its second position toits first position when said first lever is pivoted from said secondposition to said third position.

2. The linkage of claim 1, wherein said collapsing means is adjustableto change the location of said second position of said first pivotablelever.

3. The linkage of claim 1, wherein said collapsible section is acompression spring arranged between said first and second pivotablelevers.

4. The linkage of claim 1, wherein said collapsible section is anovercenter toggle consisting of a pair of links pivotally interconnectedat the center and connected to the first and second levers at the endsof said toggle.

5. The linkage of claim 4, together with spring means yieldably holdingsaid toggle against collapsing.

6. The linkage of claim 1, wherein said automatic collapsing meanscomprises a third pivoted lever engageable by said first lever andcarrying an adjustable screw engageable with said collapsible section.

7. The linkage of claim 6, together with spring means biasing said thirdlever into engagement with said first lever.

8. An actuating linkage comprising a trigger movable from a firstposition through a second position to a third position, a lever adaptedfor engagement with a member to be actuated, a collapsible sectionbetween said trigger and said lever operable to move said lever from afirst position to a second position when said trigger is moved from saidfirst position thereof to said second position thereof, and meansautomatically collapsing said collapsible section and thereby enablingreturn movement of said trigger from said second position thereof tosaid third position thereof.

No references cited.

MILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Examiner.

1. AN ACTUATING LINKAGE COMPRISING A FIRST PIVOTABLE LEVER MOVABLE FROMA FIRST POSITION THROUGH A SECOND POSITION TO A THIRD POSITION, A SECONDPIVOTABLE LEVER ADAPTED FOR ACUATING ENGAGEMENT WITH A MEMBER TO BEACTUATED, A COLLAPSIBLE SECTIOLN BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND LEVERSOPERABLE TO PIVOT SAID SECOND LEVER FROM A FIRST TO A SECOND POSITIONWHEN SAID FIRST LEVER IS PIVOTED FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO SAID FIRSTLEVER IS PIVOTED FROM SAID CALLY COLLAPSING SAID COLLAPSIBLE SECTION TOENABLE PIVOTING OF SAID SECOND LEVER BACK FROM ITS SECOND POSITION TOITS FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID FIRST LEVER IS PIVOTED FROM SAID SECONDPOSITION TO SAID THIRD POSITION.